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Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth is on the cover of the new SA Rugby magazine, on sale this week!

Etzebeth couldn’t stop smiling after being named in the Bok XV for their Rugby Championship opener in Durban.

When asked by a journalist whether his lack of game time – he hadn’t played at all in eight months – would count against him, the lock said the world would see on Saturday whether he was ready or not. And they did. Etzebeth played the full 80 minutes, making more runs than any other player, putting in several big hits and doing his job at the set piece. The Bok enforcer was back.

In this issue of SA Rugby magazine, Etzebeth talks candidly about the ‘lonely times’ he endured during a lengthy rehabilitation process that saw him miss the Stormers’ entire Super Rugby campaign and the Test series against England in June. Having recovered fully, he wants to help the Boks regain their reputation and firmly believes they can win the World Cup in Japan next year.